


I held on as tightly as you held onto me

by ravaged_by_fandom



Series: Us Against the World [1]
Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: 9th Doctor voice: EVERYBODY LIVES, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Fix-It, M/M, Reddie, Spoilers for Chapter 2, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 19:21:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20680601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravaged_by_fandom/pseuds/ravaged_by_fandom
Summary: The Deadlights reveal the future, but must those events come to pass?





	I held on as tightly as you held onto me

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone else has had their shot at this, so I might as well, too! Eddie is too pure, and he and Richie deserve better. As does Stan.

Richie’s eyes snapped open. Eddie was on top of him, and for a moment he was so shocked and pleasantly surprised, he could barely react. Eddie was yelling; yelling _something_ at him, but … the words were muffled, as if they were underwater. Richie concentrated on his voice, and slowly the words took shape.

“I think I killed It! Richie, I- I killed It!” Eddie yelled triumphantly.

Richie tried to make out their surroundings, to see the corpse of that goddamn clown, but everything was so hazy, murky, and the only thing he could see clearly was Eddie’s ridiculous, handsome face.

“I killed It, Richie! I got him!” Eddie grinned.

Richie began to smile, too, his heart filled with pride. But then- Wet, warm blood splattered across his face and chest. Eddie’s face darkened, filled with shock and pain as he looked down. Richie felt the life draining from his own body as he saw Pennywise’s talon protruding from Eddie’s chest.

Eddie reached out for Richie, gasping out his name, but with a sharp tug, he was gone, and Richie could only see a blinding void left in his wake.

_“Richie!”_

Richie’s eyes snapped open. Eddie was on top of him. Again. Yelling _again_. But now his words were loud, piercing in Richie’s ears.

“I think I killed It! Richie, I- I killed It!” he yelled triumphantly.

Richie looked around and saw the cave as clearly as he saw his Eds. Pennywise writhed in the distance, seemingly impaled on the shards of his own impact crater.

“I killed It, Richie! I got him!” Eddie grinned.

Richie’s eyes widened in fear, the haunting feeling of deja vu coursing throughout his body. “Eddie!” he yelled, grabbing his friend by the arms and pulling him down. Wetness, warmth on his face; they rolled down the rocky embankment. No, no, it was happening and he couldn’t stop it. Too late. _Too late-_

“Fuck,” Eddie groaned beneath him.

Richie pushed himself up. Eddie was grasping his now bloody shoulder, but … He was alive. “Eddie! Eddie, are you alright?”

Eddie looked down at his bloody shoulder. “Fuck, It almost got me, but … You saved me!”

Richie wanted to stay here, with Eddie, forever, but he could hear Pennywise screaming in anger as It scrabbled to free Itself, and he feared he may have only postponed the inevitable. “We gotta move!” he yelled, standing quickly. He grabbed Eddie under his good arm and pulled him to his feet. They were hidden by an outcropping, but they couldn’t stay there. He glanced around and noticed a crack in the wall. “Over there, c’mon.”

Eddie grunted, clinging as Richie helped him towards what they hoped was relative safety.

“Guys!” Richie yelled over his shoulder. “Over here!” He and Eddie made it to the crack; inside was a steep slope. They slid down, shuffling awkwardly over the rocks. The rest of the Losers followed quickly behind, with the monstrous creature right at their heels. It clawed desperately at the opening, too large to fit inside.

Beverly grabbed Eddie by his uninjured shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“Just a flesh wound,” Eddie chuckled, but it dissolved into a groan.

Richie tore off his leather jacket, balling it up and holding it against the wound. He could hear the others yelling about what to do next, but his attention was entirely on Eddie. He lifted the jacket to check if the bleeding stopped; it had. He sighed with relief. The wound was shallow enough. Now he just had to get Eddie out of here alive.

“Thanks,” Eddie huffed. “You saved my ass up there.”

“Just returning the favor,” Richie smiled. “Don’t expect it again, though, Eddie Spaghetti. Everybody gets one.” He chuckled awkwardly, on the verge of tears from relief, terrified of those tears spilling over.

Eddie looked at him; really looked at him, like he could see right through him. Maybe he could. Maybe this was their moment. Maybe it was his last chance.

“Hey, there’s a passage over here!” Ben yelled.

“We can make it back to the exit,” Beverly explained to the others. “C’mon!”

Bill frowned. “We have to finish this! We can’t just walk away!”

“We’re not,” Beverly responded. “But Eddie-”

“Eddie needs help, goddammit!” Richie shouted.

Bill stopped and looked at Richie; saw the worry and determination and anguish written plainly on his face. He squared his shoulders and helped Richie pull Eddie to his feet. Ben and Beverly lead them into the passage with Mike bringing up the rear. When they emerged on the other side, they could see Pennywise at the far side of the cavern, still tearing away at the rocks. Richie eyed his talons with fear and dread.

Beverly pointed in the opposite direction. “There’s the exit,” she hissed.

The group made a break for it, hearing Pennywise’s thunderous steps chasing behind them. They picked up the pace, but Pennywise was too fast, cutting them off right before they reached possible freedom.

They all backed away as Pennywise advanced.

“For 27 years, I’ve dreamt of you,” It crooned. “I craved you. Oh, I missed you! Waiting for this very moment ....” It reared back, its hand transforming before their very eyes into yet another monstrous talon. “TIME TO FLOAT!”

Richie entire body filled with dread. He covered as much of Eddie’s body as he could with his own and prayed to a God he hadn’t believed in in years to take him instead.

“CLOWN!” Mike’s voice reverberated throughout the cavern, and the blow Richie expected did not land. He peered over his shoulder to see Pennywise stopped in its tracks.

“I am the Eater of Worlds!” Pennywise yelled, flailing its many limbs threateningly.

“Weak old woman!” Beverly screamed as she stood her ground.

“Mimic!” Ben joined in. "_Mimic!_"

“Eater of worlds!” Pennywise insisted, but its voice sounded … weak? Small? The creature legs gave out beneath it as It crawled into the impact crater, seemingly desperate to escape the unending onslaught of the Losers screaming insults at It. Richie would find it absurd, maybe even hilarious, if his knees weren’t about to give out from relief. He turned to Eddie, who was watching the scene with a look of utter disbelief.

“Is this really happening?” Eddie coughed.

Richie took his hand, intending to lead him to a nearby outcropping before he joined the others, but stopped when Eddie wouldn’t budge. “C’mon, Eddie.” He tugged gently on Eddie’s arm. “You’ll be safer over here.”

Eddie still didn’t move, his expression solemn. “I don’t want to be safer. I want to help our friends.”

Richie was overcome with a mixture of pride and anger over Eddie’s selfless stubbornness. “Was my dumb speech that inspiring?” he chuckled. “C’mon, man, you already speared the damn thing. You’ve done enough.”

“We have to do this,” Eddie replied. “Together.” And he gently squeezed Richie’s hand.

Richie stared at his best friend, the boy who defied his mother and her abuse, the boy that faced down his fears of infection and disease to help his friends, the man that saved him from the Deadlights, and he knew in his heart that it was now or never. He stepped forward, pulling Eddie closer with their clasped hands, threading his other hand into Eddie’s hair. Eddie came close without resistance and their lips finally, _finally_ met. Softly at first; then more firmly, more sure of what was happening. No matter what occurred after this, Richie thought to himself, at least they had this moment. No demon clown could ever take this from him.

When they pulled apart, still holding hands, Eddie smiled softly. “You fucking idiot.”

Richie let out of weak laugh, grinning despite their surroundings. “Let’s go help our Losers.”

~*~

It was over; really and truly over. It was dead. All six of the remaining Losers had run as the former lair of an ancient, demonic clown collapsed around them. Even Niebolt came down in a cloud of dust and debris, seemingly only held together by Pennywise’s evil. Richie and Eddie had held hands the whole way, and now that they were back in the daylight, Richie could let himself start to believe that maybe it would all be ok.

Bill sat down heavily in the middle of the road, catching his breath. Ben and Bev hugged each other tightly. Mike looked at the ruins of Niebolt and sighed, his life’s work finally done.

Meanwhile, Richie was watching Eddie as he attempted to brush off some of the grime and muck. They were still holding hands.

Eddie must have felt Richie’s eyes on him; he looked up, squinting suspiciously. “The fuck you looking at.”

Richie chuckled. For the first time in his life, he felt like the secret he’d kept buried in his heart was no longer a weight on his shoulders. He felt free and happy and relieved. “Lookin’ at your cute face. Is that a problem?”

“Really? Even after 27 years?”

“Yep.”

“You sure?”

“Fuck yeah.” Richie pulled Eddie into his arms, careful of his shoulder, and kissed him. It was better this time, without the fear of death hanging over them. Their lips slid together easily; the stubble not as odd as Richie had feared. Eddie slipped him some tongue, and Richie’s heart fluttered.

“_Finally!_” Beverly shrieked, her voice full of joy.

Richie and Eddie broke the kiss, but pressed their foreheads together, eyes closed, just feeling each other’s breath, tangible proof that they’d both made it out of this mess alive. Their reverie was broken by the shrill chiming of a cell phone. Bill got to his feet.

Beverly answered cautiously. “Hello? ... Yes, this is Beverly … Oh! … Really? Oh, Patty, that’s wonderful! Please send me your information, we’d love to see him as soon as possible! … Ok, thank you! Bye!”

Everyone watched as Beverly pocketed her phone, tears welling in her eyes as she grinned.

“Stan woke up from his coma! Patty says he’s going to be alright!”

“What?” from Bill.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” from Eddie.

A huge grin from Mike.

Even more relief flooded into Richie; he had no idea it was physically possible to be this happy, and it fucking terrified him. So he rolled his eyes dramatically, and groaned, “Fucking nerd couldn’t even manage to kill himself?”

“Jesus Christ, Richie!” the rest, except Eddie, groaned.

“What?” Richie chuckled. “Am I wrong?”

“Some things never change, I guess.” Beverly shook her head.

“Don’t get me wrong, no one’s happier than I am at Stan being a failure.”

“Beep, beep, Richie,” Bill sighed.

“Can we get cleaned up now?” Eddie interrupted, saving Richie from himself. “I feel disgusting.”

“Yeah, you look disgusting, too,” Richie chuckled.

“Uh huh, laugh it up. Now you’re stuck with me, and I can be a petty bitch.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Hey, I know exactly where to go,” Beverly grinned.

“The hotel?” Eddie hoped.

~*~

“Really, Bev?” Eddie sighed.

The six of them stood at the gate overlooking their old swimming hole. Beverly only giggled as she shucked her shoes and hopped the gate. The boys followed after her.

Richie squeezed Eddie’s hand as the others took turns jumping into the glassy green water below. “You ok?”

“What if I contract a flesh-eating bacteria?”

“You’re not. C’mon, we swam here all the time as kids.” He was surprised by how clear the memories were now; vibrant, as if they had happened yesterday, and he wondered how he could have ever forgotten this perfect boy.

“But this time, I have an open wound, asshole.”

“You’re not gonna get any bacteria,” Richie sighed exasperatedly. “I’ll fight them all off.”

“That’s not- That’s not how that works!” Eddie scoffed, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. “Have you ever listened to-”

Richie kissed him soundly, the most effective way he could think to stop the tirade before Eddie really went off the rails. Eddie melted at the kiss.

“Fine, but you’re taking me to the hospital after this.”

“How romantic,” Richie replied sarcastically, but his tone, his expression was pure adoration. “Let’s catch up to the others.”

They jumped together, holding hands the whole way down, then swam until they rejoined their friends.

Once they reached a shallow ledge, they all began washing the blood, sweat, mud, and horror from themselves. Eddie grumbled about the ridiculousness of washing themselves in gross quarry water, but it didn’t stop him from groaning happily as Richie washed the grime out of his hair, massaging his scalp. The others chuckled fondly.

Eventually, Ben and Bev disappeared under the water for a suspicious amount of time. When they emerged smiling, the rest just smiled knowingly. One would expect a snarky comment from Richie, but he was too busy wrestling Eddie out of his filthy shirt to “assess his wounds.”

“You just want to see me shirtless,” Eddie argued, clearly self-conscious.

“Duh!” Richie scoffed. And yet he was surprisingly gentle and solemn as he inspected Eddie’s shoulder. The wound was relatively shallow, but wide, spanning from the joint to the bottom of Eddie’s neck.

“God, this fucker’s gonna need a skin graft …”

“Not helping,” Eddie said.

“Can you move everything?”

Eddie stretched his arm out, but winced when he tried to rotate his shoulder. “Yeah, I think so … Just hurts right now.”

Richie pressed a gentle kiss to the first inch of unmarred skin on Eddie’s shoulder.

“So how’d you know?” Eddie asked quietly.

Richie leaned back. “Know what?”

“To pull me out of the way.”

Richie stared down at the water between them. “Just like Bev. The Deadlights …” He let out a broken laugh. “I saw the whole thing. I saw It spear your chest … I saw the pain on your face, felt the blood on my … It was like it was really happening. And the thought- The thought of losing you was … so unbearable, I-” Richie broke down into quiet sobs.

Eddie immediately surged forward, embracing Richie with his good arm and burying his face in Richie’s neck. Richie wrapped his arms around Eddie tightly, never wanting to let go again.

The rest of the Losers waded towards them through the water, joining in the hug until the six of them were wrapped in a loving embrace.

Richie’s breathing slowly evened out, and once he was calm, everyone but Eddie stepped back to give them their space.

“Its ok,” Eddie murmured into his ear. “You didn’t lose me; you never will.”

Richie relaxed against Eddie, pushing away the memory, finding comfort that it had not come to pass.

“Oh fuck!” Eddie suddenly exclaimed, “I have to divorce my wife!"

**Author's Note:**

> In this universe, Stan attempted suicide by overdose, and has been in a coma the entire time. I may explore that, or at least the Losers reunion with him, in a later addition.
> 
> Artwork commissioned from the talented [Elizabeth!](https://empress-elizabeth.tumblr.com/post/187783001944/a-lovely-richie-and-eddie-commission-for)
> 
> Title from "To Build a Home" from The Cinematic Orchestra


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